(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an in-line system for a liquid crystal display, and a method of fabricating a liquid crystal display using the same.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Generally, the fabrication of a liquid crystal display involves processes of fabricating an array substrate where wiring line patterns and switching circuits (in the case of an active matrix type) are formed on a glass substrate, a liquid crystal display cell process where alignment treatment, spacer formation and injection of a liquid crystal between the array substrate and an opposing substrate are made, and a module process where attachment of driver ICs and mounting of a backlight are made.
A plurality of liquid crystal display cell regions are simultaneously formed at a mother glass in the array substrate fabrication process. The plurality of liquid crystal display cell regions are severed from each other to form separate display units through cutting in the liquid crystal display cell process.
In the liquid crystal display cell process, a vacuum injection or a drop injection may be made to fill the cells with liquid crystal.
With the vacuum injection, an alignment film is coated onto the substrates to align the liquid crystal molecules, and then surface-treated. Spacers are formed at one of the substrates to maintain the cell gap in a constant manner, and a sealer with a liquid crystal inlet hole is printed around the substrates. The substrates are then aligned and assembled with each other through a hot press process with a thermal-hardening sealer. After grooves are formed at the substrates per a panel unit through scribing, the substrates are severed from each other through impact cutting. The respective panels are put into a vacuum vessel such that the liquid crystal inlet hole of the sealer is dipped into a liquid crystal. In this way, the liquid crystal is injected into the liquid crystal display cell. Finally, the liquid crystal inlet hole is sealed such that the injected liquid crystal is contained.
With the drop injection, an alignment film is coated onto the substrates, and then surface-treated. Spacers are formed at one of the substrates. After a sealer is formed around one of the substrates in the shape of a closed curve, a liquid crystal is dropped onto the substrate. The two substrates are aligned, and assembled with each other by way of the sealer. Finally, the sealer is hardened.
In the case of drop injection, as liquid crystal is contained within the liquid crystal display cell while being severed into unit cells through scribing, the characteristic of the liquid crystal can deteriorate from loss of alignment force of the alignment films and due to the impact to the substrates, and this can result in poor display characteristics. To prevent such a problem, the substrate severing may be completely made at the groove formation process based on scribing by penetrating the cutting blade through the substrates. In this case, the stress applied to the substrates at the cutting becomes increased. Consequently, the possibility of deteriorating the display characteristic of the liquid crystal display cell is increased and production yield is decreased.